ABSDO (Australia) Statement to Dr B

[hazell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: ABSDO (Australia) Statement to Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali


Dear Strider,

        Could you please post this letter urgently on BurmaNet News.

Many thanks!!

>From,  ABSDO (Australia).

-------------------------------------------
Dr.Boutros Boutros Ghali
UN Secretary-General
United Nations Building
New York
N.Y. 10017 USA.

26 April 1995.

Your Excellecy Mr. Secretary-General,

On behalf of the Burmese community in Australia, we wish to offer you our
greetings and best wishes on this auspicious 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the United Nation and encourage you and your good offices
to sucessfully reaffirm the Charter of the United Nations in the case of Burma.

As related in the March 3 1995 Resolution of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights,despite some cosmetic changes in terms of the State Law and 
Order Resotration Council(SLORC)'s human rights record, systematic and
persistent human rights abuses continue across the country. This is of
particular concern in border areas inhabited predominantly by ethnic
minority people where forced labour and conscription as porters is used
extensively in the military's operations.

In Burma's central towns and cities too, arbittrary arrest, intimidation and
torture of political prisoners continue to be used to silence dissent. In
February, during the funeral of our former Prime Minister, U NU, 50 students
were arrested following their peaceful expression of support for the
pro-democracy movement.

We seek your support in achieving the immediate and unconditional release of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoner as a matter of priority.
It is timely that your good officers devote their attention to this aim in
coming months, as the SLORC's own deadline for her release will expire.

We also seek your support in ensuring that the United Nations humanitarian
and development agencies reconsider their programs in Burma. The central and
local levels of the military authorities are able to derive material and
other benefit from the assistance provided by these agencies and use froced
lobour in the construction projects undertaken in the name of border
development. We question the effectiveness of the delivery of assistance to
the people in Burma where the authorities determine the ultimate direction
of this work.

The SLORC uses the presence of UN agencies to justify the recognition
afforded to it by the international community.  We therefore recommend that
diplomatic pressure be brought by mechanisms available to you to acknowledge
the legitimacy of the elected parliament, who have held th emandate of the
people since 1990.

We ask that you convey to us the steps your good officeers have  been able
to take in effectively implementing the Resolution 49/197 to achieve
national reconciliation in Burma.  We wish you well and look forward to
hearing your positive response.

Sincerely,

Central Committee
All-Burma Students Democratic Organisation (Australia)